With this spring garden checklist and five tips for spring planting, you are ready to give your garden the tune-up it needs to flourish. What you do at the beginning of the season will help ensure a happy, healthy, and productive garden all year long. Jump to the printable download of the “Spring Garden Checklist“ Spring Garden Checklist – 5 Tips for Spring Planting Spring Garden Checklist – Tip for Spring Planting #1: Clean up and prepare garden for planting Cleaning up the garden is a two-step process: First, clear your garden area of everything that is not purposeful or beautiful. “All yo ..read more

Cultivate bay laurel for flavor & privacy. Get the details of planting & propagating bay leaf—expert tips for growing bay leaf in any climate. Did you know you could grow a bay leaf (also known as bay laurel) plant? It makes an excellent privacy hedge, and its leaves add a delightful flavor to soups, stews, and rice. Additionally, bay laurel leaves make beautiful wreaths and more. Discover the secrets to growing bay leaf in this blog post. Bay laurel (Lauro nobilis) is native to the Mediterranean and thrives outdoors year-round in warm climates (USDA zones 8-10). Here in the low deser ..read more

Imagine hanging a beautiful bay leaf (bay laurel) wreath in your kitchen, where its simple beauty adds charm and a hint of nature to your space. As the leaves dry, they can be plucked and used to infuse your cooking with their distinctive flavor. Make this bay laurel wreath using just a few materials. This blog post will guide you through making your own bay laurel wreath. Step 1: Gather Your Materials To make a bay leaf wreath, you will need fresh bay leaves, wire, and string. It’s important to use fresh leaves as they are more pliable and easier to work with. Learn how to grow bay laurel in ..read more

Learn how to grow Butternut squash. This post covers all the steps, from planting the seeds to picking a beautiful squash. Butternut squash, scientifically known as Cucurbita moschata, has a sweet, nutty flavor (similar to a pumpkin) and is one of my favorite crops to grow. It’s a warm-season vegetable that requires a long growing season to mature and grows very well in the low desert of Arizona. Try different varieties of butternut squash Butternut squash plants are vigorous and can grow up to several feet long, producing fruits weighing up to several pounds. Butternut squash is known for i ..read more

If you’re curious about how to create a permaculture food forest, you’ve come to the right place. What is it? In simple terms, a permaculture food forest is a garden that imitates the structure and function of a natural forest. It consists of a variety of plants, including fruits, nuts, herbs, and vegetables. The garden is arranged in layers (like a natural forest), with trees, shrubs, ground cover plants, and vines. These plants coexist, support each other’s growth, and establish a harmonious ecosystem. A food forest not only yields a rich variety of food and resources for you but also creat ..read more

Keep reading for garden inspiration, a February garden checklist, and a list of vegetables, herbs, and flowers to plant in your low desert Arizona garden in February. Low desert includes elevations below 3500 ft in the Southwest, such as the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. “The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.” — William C. Bryant Vegetables growing in the low desert Arizona garden in February After the last frost date in February is the ideal time to plant tomatoes and peppers in your low desert Arizona garden. Getting them planted as ..read more

Oranges are not only one of the most nutrient-packed fruits available, but they are also delicious. Here in the citrus corridor, we are blessed with an abundance of citrus, and one of the best ways to preserve the bounty is by juicing the oranges for fresh-squeezed orange juice. In this blog post, I’ll share my 3 best tips for how to juice oranges to get the best taste, most juice, and longest storage life out of your juice. Tip #1: Juice the correct type of orange When it comes to juice, not all oranges are equal. Here are a few tips to keep in mind: Sweet oranges are good for bo ..read more

As a new gardener, you’re bound to make mistakes; we all do. After helping people learn how to garden for several years, I’ve noticed some common mistakes. I compiled this list of 10 common new gardener mistakes in hopes you can avoid them as you begin your gardening journey. 1. Thinking you need everything before you begin There isn’t only one right way to garden. Premade beds and watering grids are nice but not a necessity to get started. Use the resources you have available. You don’t have to have everything to get started. A container or two is a great beginning. Learn more about how ..read more

Last year, I knew I needed to replace some wooden beds that were falling apart. I had one Garden in Minutes metal raised bed, and I loved its durability, 17’ depth, and perfect fit with watering grids. However, I had one question, “Do metal beds heat up more than wooden garden beds?” I wondered if replacing wooden beds with metal beds was a good idea in my hot summer climate. I wanted to answer these questions before adding more metal beds to the garden.  Testing to see if metal beds heat up more than wooden garden beds: For the test, I took soil temperature readings from my metal Garden ..read more

If your property has access to flood irrigation, you know the benefits of deep watering for your landscape plants and trees. However, flooding your garden every 13 days may not be practical for watering raised beds and vegetable gardens. There is a way to water your garden using flood irrigation water that works well. This blog post explains how to install a flood irrigation system to effectively water your garden and raised beds.  After the initial effort and investment, it is a low-cost solution for watering your garden. Not only does this method avoid the chemicals associated with tre ..read more